I created these chips because I wanted a salty, crunchy snack for my husband and kids. These seemed like a reasonable goal. However, as I began to experiment with versions of baked sweet potato chips, I quickly became discouraged. I tried every combination of factors I could think of, different thickness of sweet potato slices, salting beforehand, different oven temperatures, baking on a wire rack, baking on crumpled tin foil, nothing worked to my satisfaction. They all ended up with either burnt edges or soggy, chewy middles. I knew there was only one viable solution, but I was intimidated: I was going to have to get over my fear of deep frying at home.
It turns out that deep frying at home is pretty easy (those of you who are already comfortable deep frying at home can skip to the recipe). It didn’t even make that big of a mess (my biggest fears were splattered oil all over my kitchen and lighting my kitchen on fire). And while countertop Deep Fryers
- a large bottom, fairly deep pot. I used my smaller stock pot.
- an Oil & Candy Thermometer
that attaches to the side of the pot and gives you continuous oil temperature readings.
- Some kind of Strainer
, Wire Skimmer
, large slotted spoon, or Deep Fry Basket
to scoop stuff out of the oil (make sure whatever you use has no plastic bits).
- A cookie sheet coated in several layers of paper towel to drain the chips.
- Some good deep frying fat.
Let’s talk more about what fat to use. You want to choose a fat that is mostly saturated, with a smoking point above 425F. Animal fats, such as lard or tallow, work very well, These will give a distinctive flavor to whatever you are deep frying, which might be great or not so great depending on your taste and what you are frying. If you want to use coconut oil, you need to use refined coconut oil which has a higher smoking point than unrefined (450F versus 350F). The best flavorless fat for deep frying is palm shortening, which is what I recommend for making these sweet potato chips. I buy palm shortening from Tropical Traditions although Spectrum Organic
Let’s briefly chat about deep frying methodology before I get to the recipe. The idea is that you bring some oil up to somewhere between 320F and 400F. For most applications the ideal deep frying temperature is between 370-375F (much colder and your food absorbs oil and is greasy, much hotter and it may scorch). You add a small amount of food to the oil, which floats on the top and bubbles away for as long as water content from whatever it is is mixing with the oil. The oil temperature may drop when you add food to it, so you want to bring that temperature back up fairly quickly, without overshooting your mark (this is where countertop Deep Fryers
I used long, skinny sweet potatoes that were on the small side. If you can’t find long skinny sweet potatoes, cut them in half lengthwise before slicing thin for chips. These sweet potato chips stayed crunchy for 10 days in a sealed plastic container at room temperature. It made quite alot, maybe about 10 cups of chips. I fried them in small batches because it was easiest to control my oil temperature that way. It took me about 45 minutes to fry them all. You can very easily scale up or down depending on how much you want and how much time you want to commit.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 10-12
Ingredients:
- 6 long skinny sweet potatoes (mine were about 1½” thick at the most)
- 1 Tbsp Salt
- 4-6 cups palm shortening (enough to have 1½”-2” of oil in your pot)
1. Slice sweet potatoes as thinly as possible (I sliced mine 1/8” thick on my mandolin slicer and left the peel on. You can peel them first if you prefer.)
2. Generously sprinkle sweet potato slices with salt, place in a colander in your kitchen sink and let drain for 1-2 hours (or more).
3. Rinse excess salt off sweet potato slices and pat dry with clean tea towels or paper towel. It’s really important that these slices are dry before they are put into the oil. Any excess water on them will cause the oil to bubble aggressively.
4. Meanwhile, heat palm shortening in a fairly deep, wide bottomed pot with an oil thermometer attached to the side. Aim to get the oil to 375F (or slightly hotter since it will cool down when you add the sweet potato). You need to try and figure out exactly what setting to have your element on to keep the oil at that temperature. For my stove, it was a touch over the 8.
5. Add a generous handful of sweet potato slices to the oil by gently slipping then into the oil with your hand quite close to the surface. Use your strainer or skimmer to push the slices apart. Make sure the oil comes back to temperature quite quickly. Watch them. When they stop bubbling alot, start to curl slightly, and brown a bit, they are done. It takes about 2 minutes if your oil comes back to temperature quickly. It takes a bit longer if there is a lag time in getting your oil back up to 375F.
6. Use your strainer or skimmer to scoop the sweet potato chips out of the oil and place on your prepared paper towels to cool. I found that mine had enough residual salt that they didn’t need any more. Taste yours and see if they are salty enough. If not, sprinkle some salt over the top while they are still warm.
7. Repeat in batches, each time making sure you oil comes back up to 375F. Let the chips cool to room temperature and enjoy!
mrslmfuller says
Hello, I have never really deep fat fried anything. I had a huge amount of fat phobia instilled in me many years ago and am recovering… been paleo about 3 weeks now. Wondering if I get a deep fat fryer, would it be ok to keep the palm shortening it in and reuse it several times before putting new shortening in it? I feel like this is a stupid question but I really don’t know if this is ok or not. I miss potato chips and would love so much for this to be a good alternative. My kids miss them too! Oh, and the husband. LOL! Thanks in advance… love your recipes!!!!
ThePaleoMom says
Yes, you can reuse the same shortening a few times. Watch for it to smell sort of burnt or darken substantially.
Mrslmfuller says
Thank you!
Suzanne says
Should you refrigerate it if using again? Thank you
Christina Feindel says
Yes. – Christina, Sarah’s assistant
Dara says
Yummy! I am so impressed by these chips. So few ingredients and they look amazing.
Ellena says
Paleo Mom you make it look so easy that I can’t wait to start again. It was hard to stay with it because of my family but now that I see what you are doing, I’m ready to stick to it! Plus, I feel it’s the best diet ever!!! This is how we were meant to eat and this is the way kids should be eating all the time. My children eat very well but with your changes we will all be at 100% all the time!!! Thank you, I will come back to your site again and again. Also,
I have a site as well, I would love to interview you for the site, the site is for mom’s.
michelle says
When you say sweet potatoes, do you actually mean sweet potatoes or yams?
ThePaleoMom says
I can very rarely get real yams in stores here. So, sweet potatoes.
-A says
Really? I’m in MA and can only get yams no sweet potatoes! I even tried ordering from various distributors, I’d love to know more.
Melissa says
Can you use Palm oil for this?
mom2one says
how long will these keep in a zip lock bag?
ThePaleoMom says
I made a huge batch once and they were still good after 10 days.
Eileen @ Everyone Eats Right says
I’m excited to try these. Thanks for your detailed instructions. I don’t deep fat fry often and I know how tricky it can be to get sweet potatoes not soggy, not burnt, but just right, so I really need every little detail.
Kara Ware says
Palm Oil? I have read that Palm is mostly GMO and with the large surge in popularity has also drastically affected the habitat of the Orangutans. I loved using Earth Balance Soy Free butter, which led me to learn all of this. What brand of Palm Oil do you use?
ThePaleoMom says
Tropical Traditions, organic, ethical and sustainable.
Tiffany says
I don’t have palm shortening, what can I use as a substitute? Coconut oil?
Tamar England says
In the third paragraph, Sarah lists lard, tallow, and refined coconut oil as good options. — Tamar, Sarah’s assistant
Suzanne says
I was so sad. They came out great. Let them cool for 2 hours and in the morning all soft:( I had a feeling that might happen. Unless I use a dehydrator that tends to happen. Any thoughts?
Christina Feindel says
Yes, it is best to make chips in a dehydrator if you will not be eating them immediately. – Christina, Sarah’s assistant
Nicole Norden says
It would be AWESOME if this recipe called for perhaps, coconut oil, or something more sustainable that Palm, given the fact that our palm oil use is not only destroying rain forests, but also killing orangutans and elephants in order to expand the ever-growing fields! http://ran.org/problem-palm-oil-factsheet
Christina Feindel says
Sarah sources her palm products from sustainable sources. You can find links to those in her recipes. – Christina, Sarah’s assistant
Nicole Norden says
That’s fantastic! I’m super glad to hear it. So many people aren’t aware of the terrible tragedies suffered by the animals living in the regions where these fields are taking over. Thanks Christina for replying!
Lisa | Mummy Made.It says
I have been addicted to vegetable chips this week! My favourite is the White Sweet Potato followed closely by Parsnip. I love it when they get all crunchy!!
Peter says
I don’t have access to palm shortening, I use duck lard. I would recommend it for everyone, it gives a great taste to the potatoes.
While I preheat the oven, I put a few pieces of lard into a pot. The lard starts to melt as I heat it up, I put a fork into it and apply it all over the bottom of the pot. Then I put in the potatoes and apply the spices.
angie says
please dont use palm oil, look up the devastation to the jungles and animal habitat. orangutans are literally being murdered. most people will not go through the trouble of sourcing.
Lisa Grover says
Do you have a baked option? I do not have a deep fryer?
Danielle F says
I’m guessing the ones in the picture above are yams, not sweet potatoes, due to their color. In the U.S. yams are identifiable by their peachy/orange internal color whereas sweet potatoes are a pale yellow/white, like regular potatoes, on the inside. It is a common misconception that one is the other and vice-versa, but yams and sweet potatoes are not even in the same food family. Restaurants and food manufacturers perpetuate the confusion by using them interchangeably. Most grocery store carry both varieties and you can test the color to the name listed in the store by using your fingernail to make a small scratch in the skin.
Ellen Nieuwland says
There is quite a scare going on here from the “natural” food lobby to avoid deep-fried foods, because of the formation of malondialdehyde. I would appreciate your take on this.
Thank you.
Regards, Ellen